Infirmary

Since we moved into our new house, it has felt like an infirmary.  Literally, the first working day after we moved in, Barrett had an ear infection and I had to stay home with him.  His fever went up again, and Billy stayed home with him that Wednesday.  Then, Billy got a nasty case of the sniffles (which he has since determined was the flu), although he refused to stay home to take care of himself.  The one day we were all relatively  healthy, we had a house full of people.  Then, Audrey woke up the next day with a high fever and absolutely no energy.  Later in the week, the doctor confirmed she had influenza A.  She had a fever for at least some part of the day for 6 straight days.  All she wanted to do was sleep or lay on the couch.  If that wasn't a telltale sign, then her complete lack of appetite was.  One day when I was home with her, I offered her a cookie for lunch just so she would eat something, and she only took 3 bites.  Yesterday, finally, she was back to her normal self. This was confirmed by the pancakes she devoured for breakfast, the incessant questions she asked, and the fact that bitty baby needed a new outfit (she literally was too sick to play with her favorite doll prior to that).     I have never been so happy to get asked 30 different questions about my pajamas before 8 am on a Sunday.

Now that we are all healthy, we can finally start enjoying our new home, and I can stop calling it the infirmary.  We did manage to clean through the boxes in the basement and get it organized.  So, next time one of our moms comes to visit with a carload of stuff, we are ready.  It also means we can spend more time playing together as a family.  While Audrey was sick, she had strict instructions not to touch her brother or his toys.  It might have been more difficult for her if she hadn't been so miserable to begin with.  

This week, without his sister to help him get whatever he wanted, Barrett started to really move.  He is booking it across the floor on his hands and knees, and tries to pull up on anything that he can find.  When I stand him up and let him hold onto furniture, he can support his weight on his legs.  It hasn't been that long since he just started to crawl, and he is already moving onto the next phase of mobility.  Slow down buddy...mommy and daddy have some more child-proofing to do before you start walking!